I'd rather be having a quiet drink... and can be followed on Twitter @alcothusiast; and friended on Untappd (handle: "neilcake" - all welcome).

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

A Thornbridge a Day

I don’t tend to
write that much about beer as, much as I like to drink it, I don’t find it that
interesting to think about. Nor do I tend to get that excited about its various
forms or the many thousands of breweries there are around the world. However,
if there is one brewery I’m a fan of, it’s Derbyshire’s Thornbridge. Ever since sampling their wares at the Bearded Theoryfestival a couple of
years ago, I’ve almost become a devotee, seeking them out and happily handing
over more than the cost of the average roasting joint for their generally
outstanding product.

So as part of my
birthday celebrations for this year, Mrs Cake planned a trip to their shop,
which is located at the back of an industrial estate on the edge of the town of
Bakewell – that wasn’t all we did! It wasn’t a shit birthday! I spent more than £50 on a selection of bottles and
a keg, so it seems only fair that we should give them the respect they deserve
with their own post.

AM:PM, 4.5%

“All day IPA”, this
is called, which reminds me of a far unhappier time, when I used to work at a
24 hour call answering service called “AlldayPA”. This is much better than
that. It’s got what I think of as the signature Thornbridge flavour, but it’s a
bit lighter than most of their fare and makes a nice beer for chugging when
you’re really thirsty. 4/5

Lord Marples, 4%

Described as a
“classic British bitter”, I have to say it’s a bit more than that. Not quite
delivering all I want from me Thornbridge, but outstanding if you put it up
against all else the “classic British bitter” genre has to offer. 3.5/5

Chiron 5%

Chiron is a
veritable taste explosion. Marketed as an American Pale Ale, this one literally
blossoms in your mouth after about half a second. One to really savour. 4.5/5

Kipling, 5.2%

I appreciate the
extra strength and the idea of a
South Pacific Pale Ale, but sadly it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it
should. 3/5

Tzara, 4.8%

Tzara is billed as a
Koln style beer, which I hadn’t
realised was a thing before. That, I suppose, is why these special breweries
exist. So anyway, all that means is that it has been fermented like ale and
then aged (or conditioned) like
lager. What you get here are fruity and bready notes, according to the bottle.
I agree. It is light and dangerously drinkable, proving just right for my
thirsty self’s return from an energetic band rehearsal. Very nice. 4/5

Jehanne, 7.4%

A biere de garde or keeping beer. It’s nice and strong and I enjoyed it, but can’t
remember any further impressions. 4/5

Wild Raven, 6.6%

I gave this 5/5 the
last time I tried it, so that’s quite high praise. A black IPA, it is smooth
and dark and has a long, but not overpoweringly bitter finish. I suspect my palate
was more receptive last time though, as this time I’m giving it… 4.5/5

Beadeca’s Well, 5.3%

A smoked porter,
made with peated malts. I like anything smoked and this is no exception. 4/5

Eroica Britannia, 4.3%

A pale ale to
celebrate Bakewell’s cycling festival – which frankly sounds fabulous in its
own right, and well worth creating a beer for. This is actually one of the least
interesting Thonrbridge offerings that I’ve come across so far. It’s quite
light and tangy, but doesn’t quite push my pedals… so to speak. 3.5/5

Jaipur, 5.9%

This one elicited
particular excitement because it is already a personal favourite of mine.
You’ll certainly have read about it on these pages before. And this time… it’s
a keg. I’ve never bought a keg before, and at 9 pints for around £24, I think
this IPA represents pretty good value. I was informed that it needed to be
consumed by mid February (so within about 3 weeks), and once opened, within 3 days. We made arrangements for Pablo and Veronica
to come round so that Pablo could help out.

Now, I don’t know
what the cause might be, but it just seemed like something was missing in the
product here. Perhaps we waited a little bit too long, or maybe it just doesn’t
taste the same out of a keg as it does from a bottle or cask – or maybe it was
just my tastebuds playing up. Whatever it was, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d
been expecting. I did get smashed though, since Pablo and I consumed the whole
thing between us and chased it with rum and a hefty chunk of mezcal. 4/5,
though it would normally be a 5. I’ve tried IPAs religiously since discovering
this gem, and of 75 other varieties sampled, Jaipur is better than them all,
and twice as good as most.

Versa, 5%

I’m quite a fan of
the weisse beer style that this
offering represents, but I feel this, combined with my high expectations for
Thornbridge products made this one seem
a little disappointing. 3.5/5

Colorado Red, 5.9%

A hopped red ale
made kind of in partnership with Sierra Nevada. Another superb, full of flavour
offering with a lightly bitter finish.
4/5

St. Petersburg, 7.4%

There’s a little bit
of peat coming through in this Imperial Russian Stout, which is very pleasant.
Another solid expression. 3.5/5

Black Harry, 3.9%

A dark, fruity ale
that doesn’t quite hit the spot for me. Mellower than a lot of the other
Thornbridge fare and lacking that awe-inspiring tang. 2.5/5

Bear State, 7%

A “West Coast
IPA”. High in alcohol, big in flavour,
and at £4.20 from Font, this was even
decent value. 4.5/5

Kill Your Darlings, 5%

Described as Vienna style, this one has been lagered for er… I forget; either 5 weeks
or 5 months. It was very nice though. 4/5

Charlie Brown, 6.2%

A brown ale – along
the lines of Newcastle Brown, but better – that, if I remember correctly, is
actually made with peanut butter. I can’t stand peanut butter, so I’d saved
this one to share with Mrs Cake, who loves it. It’s very tangy, and I can
confirm that I couldn’t taste peanut butter. 4/5

Bamberg, 6%

A smoked “bock”. It
was nice to have something this light, but so complex. 4/5

Bracia, 10%

A “rich, dark ale”
from the Thornbridge Hall collection.
Brewed only four times a year in limited
quantities, you need to shell out £8.50 for one of these. Can any beer ever be
worth £8.50? Not really, but I was curious and very much looked forward to
opening it. It had a very long finish and the extreme strength isn’t
overbearing, and while I’m convinced I didn’t allow the price to affect my
score, it doesn’t rate among my favourites. 3.5/5

Cocoa Wonderland, 6.8%

A porter that
incorporates real chocolate into the maturation process. 4/5

Wild Swan, 3.5%

Described as a white
gold pale ale, this is intended for the summertime. It is light and, in my
opinion, a little alcoholically weak, but it manages to be tasty in spite of
that and certainly delivers in terms of refreshment. 4.5/5

Jaipur X, 10%

What better way to
end this list with this celebratory edition of Jaipur that clocks up a massive
10 ABVs? I’d been tempted to buy one of these at £8.50 in Sheffield’s Bath
Hotel, but declined, only to return home and find that Mrs Cake had bought one
for me in my absence. True love, that is.

Can it live up to
expectations? Well: yes. It has that superb, distinctive Jaipur flavour, but on
top of that, you can taste the extra strength and that extra strength is
actually manifested as extra flavour. You have to remember with this one,
you’re getting 500ml, and it is stronger than Carlsberg Special Brew, so if you
drink too fast you might get smashed. The pregnant Mrs Cake had the smallest
sip and said she could already feel the welcoming beer hug.

Why are they so damn good?

Seems a fair
question. And if that’s a fair question, it begs the further query, why are so many other breweries making
beer that doesn’t even approach this quality? Well, I don’t know. I do know
that Thornbridge remains my favourite brewery and one that I’ll be delighted to
continue promoting on these pages for the foreseeable future. Maybe it’s that
they have two breweries – the old one at Thornbridge Hall where they use a
traditional infusion mash ale system and barrel-ageing, and the new one in
Bakewell where the emphasis is on utilisation of technology. You can learn a
bit more about this on their website, or even take a tour, but as far as we’re
concerned for now, all you need to know is it means they’re serious about the
quality and variety of their product and there’s always something new and
interesting emerging. Long may it last.

Definitions

What happens when you zone out after having had a cheeky lunchtime pint.

Alcothusiast:

Not an alcoholic, someone who appreciates booze.

Anxiety, The:

The uneasy feeling that accompanies any noteworthy hangover.

Booze Buffet Mentality:

The propensity people have to go nuts whenever there's a free bar.

Booze Porn:Photos of alcohol.

Bread Chest:Not booze related, but this term describes the indigestion you get from eating too many bread products too quickly. Just putting it out there...

Crawler's Block:The inability to decide where to go next during a pub crawl - often resulting in crawl stagnation and someone saying, "shall we just have another one here?"

Crawl Stagnation:The result of failing to plan a pub crawl sufficiently - lack of a route, theme or over-familiarity with nearby pubs can all be contributing factors.

Excess Induced Alcohol Aversion:An intolerance for a drink caused (usually) by one occasion of overindulgence.

The Family:My whisky collection.

MOMA:

Moment of Maximum Appreciation. Every bottle has one. It's the time you drink it where you enjoy it most.

Old Man Pub:Traditional British pub, renowned for being quiet, cosy and frequented by old men. Much favoured by people who like a nice chat while they drink.Psychological Drinks Cabinet:Collective term relating to the kinds of alcoholic drinks a person has need for.Road Beers:

Cans of beer that you take with you when you go out, to consume on the way.

The 3 Types of Rum:White, gold and dark. Together they form the base of many a great cocktail.

About Me

Neil Cake is interested in all types of booze, but is by no means an authority or expert. Most of the time he's just trying to be funny, but he is learning, and enjoys sharing his adventures and what he learns on the Drink it How You Like it blog.
Thengyuverrymuuuuuch.